The project is expected to be open from 1 May 2022 and will provide carriers with funding to purchase zero-emission HGVs. The funding amount depends on the type of lorry purchased and the size of the company. Large companies can apply for a 40% funding of the electric HGV, small companies can apply for a 60% grant.
Interested parties are now invited by the Dutch transport and logistics association TLN to take part in the final phase of consultations, which is open until 25 January 2022.
Too late and not enough money – TLN underwhelmed by the plan
While TLN welcomes the scheme, it finds its launch painfully late.
“The announced subsidy scheme is the result of agreements between the government and industry that have been laid down in the Climate Agreement of 2019. It is good that a concrete scheme is now available, but the implementation has taken a long time. Moreover, the budget of 43 million euros is far too limited to support the scaling up to zero-emission freight transport,” commented the association in a statement.
TLN also criticises the amount available: assuming an average subsidy of 80,000 euros for the heavier e-trucks, the scheme offers enough to fund 500 electric lorries in the coming years. But this number is very low, as, according to the calculations of the Panteia research agency, 12,000 e-trucks are needed for urban distribution alone, explains the organisation.
Moreover, the scheme doesn’t include building infrastructure for the electric HGVs, and this would also be a key to efficient electrification of road transport, adds TLN.